In perhaps his best year with the bat, 1908, he hit .265 in a league which hit only .239. In contrast to most of the catchers of the 1900s, he was known primarily for his bat and not for his glove; he was eventually replaced by Oscar Stanage, a more typical "defense-first" catcher.

He tried pugilism during the off-season between 1910-1911, and according to the New York Times of March 18, 1911, was successful. However, he decided that baseball was more his style, and came back to Detroit.

He was part of the gang that picked on Ty Cobb in his rookie year; he broke Cobb's nose in a fight.

Schmidt is the only player ever to make the last out in two World Series, consecutive or otherwise (1907 and 1908). Three players have done this in two consecutive postseason series: Bill Spiers in 1997-1998, Omar Vizquel in 1998-1999, and Edgar Renteria in 2004-2005.